Three daughters of mother killed during Cardiff hit-and-run rampage will open Christmas gifts "from mum"

Three daughters of mother killed during Cardiff hit-and-run rampage will open Christmas gifts 'from mum'
Karina Menzies died in a 30 minute hit-and-run rampage in OctoberMatthew Tvrdon, 31, from Cardiff, charged with the murder within a dayGirls, aged 11, eight and two, will unwrap the last gifts left by motherSister says they are 'the last thing she will ever be able to give them'

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UPDATED:

21:20 GMT, 24 December 2012

Three girls left motherless after a
hit-and-run rampage that brought hysteria to a city's streets will open
festive gifts labelled 'from mum,' tomorrow.

Karina Menzies, 31, was killed during
30 minutes of terrifying carnage in the Ely and Leckwith areas of
Cardiff, south Wales, in October.

Thirteen others, including seven children, were injured, some seriously, in the deadly incident.

Karina Menzies, 31, had already bought Christmas presents for her children before her death in October

Tomorrow the three girls, aged 11, eight and two, will unwrap the last gifts their mother ever bought for them.

Samantha Menzies, 26, the dead woman's sister, described them today as 'the last thing she will ever be able to give them'.

She took charge of her sister's girls
in the aftermath of the tragic death and they will spend their first
Christmas together tomorrow.

I am excited about Christmas but at
the same time I feel sad as well because it will be their first
Christmas without her and that's going to be tough,' she told BBC Radio
Wales.

'But I will put all my energies into
keeping her memory alive and into the girls being involved at the
cemetery – decorating her grave, making decorations for the tree – so
they feel close to her.'

She said that her sister had already bought quite a few presents for her daughters before her death in October.

Mourners placed flowers next to where Karina died in October

Brave mum: The cover of the order of service for the funeral of Ms Menzies held last month

'They are going to be labelled 'from
Mum' because they are from mum.

'And I'm going to make sure they enjoy
their presents and enjoy the day.'They are definitely going to know
they are from Karina because that was the last thing she'll ever be able
to give them. So I'm going to make sure that happens.'

Friends and well-wishers gathered to
say farewell to the mother-of-three at an emotional funeral service at
the Church of the Resurrection, in Ely, last month.

Tributes were paid at the uplifting
celebration to her life as the leopard print coffin containing her body
stood at the centre of the church.

Matthew Tvrdon, 31, from Cardiff, was charged with the murder of the mother-of-three within a day of her death.

He has since appeared in court accused
of her murder and 13 counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault
occasioning actual bodily harm and dangerous driving.